Saint-Émilion and Bordeaux suggestions please (1 Viewer)

[Lost Sun]

Staying near Royan (western France) for a week in mid June and would like to then move on to take in Saint-Émilion and then perhaps visit Bordeaux. We have around 4 days and we're in a 6m panel van conversion (Globecar). Does anyone have any suggestions of what to see and where to stay?
Regards
Simon

 

[Hollyberry]

Bordeaux is a beautiful city but don't attempt to drive and park in it. Use the tram. Large car parks at tram stations and ticket used to be included in your parking ticket. Get there early to get an outside parking space to avoid the multi storey, or ask at your campsite for them to phone ahead re parking. Vehicle access to the city except for essential vehicles is discouraged, hence next to no parking places.
Don't have any experience of St Emillion but a lot of vineyards have ample parking as they do tours/ tastings. This mentions motor home parking https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowT...Saint_Emilion_Gironde_Nouvelle_Aquitaine.html
And the tourist office info in English http://www.saint-emilion-tourisme.com/uk/infos-pratiques/ou-se-garer.html
If you want a place to stay overnight look at Le Grand Etang de La Jamaye. Beautiful lake with beach, circular walk, kayak hire, restaurants. Lots of easy parking and you can stay overnight.

Enjoy your trip. I used to live about 20 minutes from La Jamaye.

 

[Ivory55]

I agree about driving in Bordeaux, we made the mistake of driving in once. Best avoided.

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[Boringfrog]

I'm sure there's Motorhome parking right in the centre of St Emillion.

 

[Boringfrog]

https://www.aire-service-camping-car-panoramique.fr/mobile/gironde/33-saint-emilion

 

[MattR]

Staying near Royan (western France) for a week in mid June and would like to then move on to take in Saint-Émilion and then perhaps visit Bordeaux. We have around 4 days and we're in a 6m panel van conversion (Globecar). Does anyone have any suggestions of what to see and where to stay?
Regards
Simon

How much do you like wine? If lots, day 1, I'd go to the Libourne area and explore the very small vineyards such as Fronsac & Pomerol as well as Saint-Émilion. Day 2, I'd head west along the north bank of the Gironde for the Bordeaux Superieur, Cotes de Bourg and Cotes de Blaye and take the Royan to Le Verdon ferry for an evening meal of locally caught prawns. Day 3, meander down to Bordeaux, having lunch and tastings around Chateau Chasse Spleen, exploring the Medoc region on the way. Night and following day in Bordeaux. If time and direction allows, end up in Sauternes for sweet wines.

There are lots of well known vineyards in the area. You can have a lot of fun tasting the top wines and then visiting neighbouring vineyards for tastings - same grapes, soils and microclimates and often lower prices.

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[MotorhomeMart]

How about Dune de Pila and Arcachon/Biscarosse?

 

[MattR]

How much do you like wine? If lots, day 1, I'd go to the Libourne area and explore the very small vineyards such as Fronsac & Pomerol as well as Saint-Émilion. Day 2, I'd head west along the north bank of the Gironde for the Bordeaux Superieur, Cotes de Bourg and Cotes de Blaye and take the Royan to Le Verdon ferry for an evening meal of locally caught prawns. Day 3, meander down to Bordeaux, having lunch and tastings around Chateau Chasse Spleen, exploring the Medoc region on the way. Night and following day in Bordeaux. If time and direction allows, end up in Sauternes for sweet wines.

There are lots of well known vineyards in the area. You can have a lot of fun tasting the top wines and then visiting neighbouring vineyards for tastings - same grapes, soils and microclimates and often lower prices.

PS. Most of this can be done in 1 long day but that would be a rush and you'll be unable to appreciate the wines and food as you'll either be too tiddly to notice the differences or unable to drink and drive.

 

[chaser]

you could do worse than stay at twin lakes and get the train to bordeaux , also loads of aires around there, also what about the chataux and vinyard and aire at blaye.

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[Jimbohorlicks]

Blaye is nice and as @chaser has said there is an aire at the chateaux verdan , free with water dump and electric , the town of Blaye is a 15 min walk to the citidal which is well worth exploring , or you can stay on the aire just below the citidal wall overlooking the river for 3 euros, but not sure on facilities there.

 

[SmithsInFrance]

Agree with @chaser too - citadel at Blaye is worth a visit. The aire just outside the citadel right beside the estuary is 3 euros but no facilities. On the other side of the citadel, Chateaux Marquis de Vauban is very well set up to receiving MHs too with ehu, water, loos etc etc - all free, can stay up to 48 hrs. Apparently they do a good meal with wines as well, but haven't done it yet.

 

[Polar bear]

There is a very good yellow campsite at st emillion with a free minibus into town, stayed there 2016 and couldn’t fault it. Stayed at a campsite outside Baurdeaux and caught bus in very cheap bus fare better than trying to park in city.

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[WSandME]

Second Chateau Marquis de Vauban.
They also do gratis trips (some in horse-drawn carriage) to the citadel, where they ply you with wine and nibbles. Excellent.

 

[glastry]

Yes,a magic

Agree with @chaser too - citadel at Blaye is worth a visit. The aire just outside the citadel right beside the estuary is 3 euros but no facilities. On the other side of the citadel, Chateaux Marquis de Vauban is very well set up to receiving MHs too with ehu, water, loos etc etc - all free, can stay up to 48 hrs. Apparently they do a good meal with wines as well, but haven't done it yet.[/Q
No

Yes, a magic place to stay,we were made welcome by Pauline the manager,and enjoyed the tour.
Good cycling from here ,makes Blaye even more attractive!!

 

[Stealaway]

Sarlat has a superb market on Saturdays but don't stop overnight. The Aire is on a 45 degree slope!!!
Follow the river there are some superb sites and towns.

https://www.tripsavvy.com/dordogne-travel-guide-and-maps-1508169

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[Allanm]

We stayed at a vineyard selling St Emillion grand crue, of course, we had to buy a couple of cases....
Keep away from Bordeaux and explore the vineyards and rivers.

Agree with @chaser too - citadel at Blaye is worth a visit. The aire just outside the citadel right beside the estuary is 3 euros but no facilities. On the other side of the citadel, Chateaux Marquis de Vauban is very well set up to receiving MHs too with ehu, water, loos etc etc - all free, can stay up to 48 hrs. Apparently they do a good meal with wines as well, but haven't done it yet.

We tried to find the aire next to the citadel at Blaye a couple of months ago, it didn’t appear to be there anymore.
I’m pretty sure Biscarosse is shut too, we ended up at Gastes, lovely aire on a large lake.

 

[MattR]

Sarlat has a superb market on Saturdays but don't stop overnight. The Aire is on a 45 degree slope!!!
Follow the river there are some superb sites and towns.

https://www.tripsavvy.com/dordogne-travel-guide-and-maps-1508169

Sarlat (and the Dordogne) is lovely but I would not try and do that during a 4 day trip to Bordeaux / Saint Émilion - IMHO, there is too much to see around the Gironde / Garonne and Sarlat would be too far with too many things to see in the area. I'd save the Dordogne for another trip.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

We stayed at a vineyard selling St Emillion grand crue, of course, we had to buy a couple of cases....
Keep away from Bordeaux and explore the vineyards and rivers


We tried to find the aire next to the citadel at Blaye a couple of months ago, it didn’t appear to be there anymore.
I’m pretty sure Biscarosse is shut too, we ended up at Gastes, lovely aire on a large lake.

We were at the chateau late February and the aire at the citadel was in operation, we showed @meggie around Blaye

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[Allanm]

We were at the chateau late February and the aire at the citadel was in operation, we showed @meggie around Blaye

I don’t know what was happening there when we were there then, it was the end of February and there were “No Camping-car” signs up at the entrance and construction vehicles where the aire was. Maybe they were resurfacing or refurbishing it. It was a shame because we were looking forward to visiting the area.
We’ll try again in a couple of months.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Maybe they were doing up the drainage again, when we were there in October last year they were doing some reconstruction work on a sewer type pipe that runs along the roadway next to the little river that runs along the road.They had a mini digger cutting out a trench and pulling up old pipework. The aire was open but it was one way traffic and part of the car park was being used for storage of the waste digout and new surface dressing, gravel etc. Maybe they are just renewing what they were doing last year, hopefully.

 

[bigtree]

I met a very nice camping cariste in Portugal 2 years ago that has a vineyard near St Emilion, called Chateau Guilotin. Missed him by one day last year but his son was there who was schooled in England, they are an aire and France passion. Bought a few bottles,well worth a visit. We stayed at the aire at Lussac the night before,free electric and toilets.

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[MattR]

For those planning to visit the area:

 

[chaser]

I don’t know what was happening there when we were there then, it was the end of February and there were “No Camping-car” signs up at the entrance and construction vehicles where the aire was. Maybe they were resurfacing or refurbishing it. It was a shame because we were looking forward to visiting the area.
We’ll try again in a couple of months.

Maybe they were doing up the drainage again, when we were there in October last year they were doing some reconstruction work on a sewer type pipe that runs along the roadway next to the little river that runs along the road.They had a mini digger cutting out a trench and pulling up old pipework. The aire was open but it was one way traffic and part of the car park was being used for storage of the waste digout and new surface dressing, gravel etc. Maybe they are just renewing what they were doing last year, hopefully.

Even if it is closed , which i dont think can be perminent as they have put meters in now, you can always go round to the vineyard around the corner, free to boot.